Scoopy

Just got that shi**y feeling you get after buying something nice and finding out it wasn't exactly as it seemed..... a VERY nice mercury metallic LS430 southern car, good history records, clean carfax, beautiful interior, owned by older drivers according to records, bought from a small dealer who buys older trade ins from a Lexus dealer in FLA.

He said there had been a very minor front collision in the past, title is clean. Bought it and have been driving a few days and noticed the AFS did not seem to be doing its thing (looking around corners and such) but since this is my first LS430 and my other cars are 400's (GS and LS) I never thought to check the AFS.

After getting out and looking very closely at the headlight assemblies I found that they are non-moving, fixed beam assemblies. When driving at night the lights are clear and very bright, HID looking beams, and focused/aligned correctly both bright and dim.

So it seems to me that after this car had the fender bender (which is not on carfax), then they replaced both assemblies on the cheap. I see no evidence of any frame or radiator support damage or tampering whatsoever and the car appears perfectly straight and functions perfectly aside from the missing AFS function.


So.... I also read that there is a federal requirement that HID's have to have some kind of auto level according to federal law? Am I now outside of those legal parameters and would have recourse based on that? Or is it normal and legal to have aftermarket headlamp assemblies in the LS430 with the original HID guts stuffed in them?

Felt pretty sick and got that queasy feeling like I had been had. Trying to sort through this and I appreciate any of your thoughts.

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

That is a bummer. I really like the AFS on my LS.

Scoopy

OK, i went out and looked closer, and the "seams" in the chromed plastic that led me to believe this whole thing was a single solid piece were indeed separate from the projectors which DID move up and down and leveled when i turned they key on here at night and looked closely.

My apologies. I panicked. This is why I posted here before calling the dealer on this because I was not 100% sure of what I was looking it.

But i still need help if you could - the beams go up and down and "level out" every time i turn the key on but they will not "look left and right" when i turn the steering wheel.

Man, it has been a long week, got here to FLA to pick this up and plane had mechanical problems and did not get to bed until 4AM so I am pretty tired. Sorry to jump to conclusions. The rear part of the housing is lexus for sure and the clear & chrome part says "stanley" with some other numbers on the front and that looks legit.

Any idea why this is not turning left and right?

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

I went out to my garage and tested mine

It is turning just fine.... I pulled it out of garage, turned it around and put it back.....

Why not drive with AFS on and AFS off and see if you can visually see a difference

Around my development I can notice it moving, as I am doing some turns...

Scoopy

thank you for checking yours, i notice that the headlights seem to point dead ahead regardless of where the wheels are turned even if i have someone else turning the wheel while i stand outside and look.

i thought perhaps it had to go a certain speed like 5mph+ or something before they started to look around? but i have not noticed them looking around corners when driving or pointing anywhere but straight ahead.

I found this very short vid that shows what they are supposed to do and i was looking for this type of movement,

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

Mine does exactly as it shows on video

Anthony81

The turning headlights only work above 6 mph iirc, and you need to be on a relatively curvy road for them to be really apparent.

lexman52

In the video it shows it moving while not being driven? Is the true or do u have to be driving.

Scoopy

wondering this too.

jayclapp

The owners manual, pg 56, states that the system operates when the vehicle speed increases above 6 mph and stops when the vehicle speed drops below 6 mph.

Everyone needs to have and read an owners manual.

Scoopy

I'll go out and drive in the lot and have someone up front looking at it, i was basing my inspection off that guys video... perhaps he had his back wheels jacked up and the vehicle in drive??

I did read SOME of the manual lol... i'll go check and report back..

AJT123

AFS is one of my favorite features. However, mine still function even when the afs switch is off (and the "AFS off" light doesn't come on either). Weird, but it works flawlessly so who cares I guess.

Hope you get it worked out, OP.

Off topic, but if yall like our adaptive headlights....man, my mom has a new Enclave...wow. I mean it's an 11 year newer car, but the adaptive lights are insane how far they swivel.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

The left and right movement I have only noticed on the drivers side and while driving as others have mentioned. The video seems weird because the lamps don't strike until after the movement. This is not normal.

Scoopy

All right!!!!!!! I took out for a drive on a quiet back road and took a witness with me (wife)... they appear to work perfectly above 6mph. They look left and right when the wheel turns just like they are supposed to. I never noticed it without looking for it when I was driving around before, there was a lot of traffic.

I'm a happy bug. Thank you for all of your input everyone and for finding the note about the AFS in the manuaI - I brought the manual inside and I am going to read the whole thing cover to cover as penance for my jumping to conclusions.

THANKS everyone, this forum is truly great! I absolutely love the car and I keep finding new features every day I drive it.... wow. Very very happy woith this purchase.

I am looking for a GS470 for my wife now in cream or black, an 04 to 05 in excellent shape, up to 05 I only have to pay $50 for the title fees at the courthouse and I like the design of that series of GS470s as well.

Hats off to you all.

AJT123

Glad you got it sorted out. Your story is funny bc it just reminded me of when I got my car...I was so excited about the swiveling headlights but I also thought they weren't working--it rained like crazy the first two nights and you can't tell they're working in the rain.

Also, Lav, idk if you meant yours in your example but the right one should be swiveling also (albeit less...right one swivels 5 degrees and left one is 15 IIRC). I also thought there was something wrong with mine until I found out the left one is supposed to swivel more, lol.